


Consultation

by Inell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Drama, Harry Potter Next Generation, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-War, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: Eternity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-18
Updated: 2008-12-18
Packaged: 2018-10-25 18:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10769535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inell/pseuds/Inell
Summary: Hermione meets with a contact about the Warrington caseWorth the Risk #46





	Consultation

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

The mid-week briefing with Harry takes longer than expected. There are several cases to discuss, and Harry wants to review Warrington in detail. Unfortunately, there isn’t much new detail to go over. It’s only Wednesday, so the team hasn’t been able to find out anything yet. Hermione knows they’re pursuing their assignments, just as she’s following through on hers. Still, it’s not easy to see Harry look disappointed when his department can only continue doing what it has been.

When they finish their meeting, she breaks one of her own personal rules and gives him a hug. “Don’t get discouraged. If worse comes to worst, we have enough from Corner’s lab to back-up the charges.”

“You don’t approve of hugs at work,” Harry reminds her before he returns the hug. “I just can’t get the crime scene out of my mind. I won’t be able to until we know the bastard’s not going to do that anymore.”

“None of that, Potter. Trust me. He’ll not be a threat to anyone else after I get finished with him,” she promises. It’s times like these that she’s glad she’s stubborn and determined because those two qualities help her feel confident even when faced with cold trails that don’t seem to go anywhere. It appears to help Harry, because he relaxes.

“I do trust you. It’s why you’ve got this case.” He stretches. “And it’s almost noon. Bloody hell. That took ages.”

“Is it?” She frowns and gathers her things. “I’ve got a meeting at twelve. We’re finished here?”

“Bugger. Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have stopped asking so many questions.”

“No, you wouldn’t have. I won’t be late, so it’s fine.” She smiles. “You always ask questions. It’s what makes you good at your job.”

“Yeah, well, I know how you hate tardiness. I’d have asked a little faster, if nothing else.” He follows her to the door and opens it, smiling briefly before he shifts awkwardly. “Hi, Ginny. You’re early.”

She looks up and sees Ginny standing in the waiting room. The warm smile that greeted Harry’s words fades into a tight smile as Ginny nods at her. “Hello, Ginny,” she says politely.

“Hello Hermione.” Ginny turns towards Harry and smiles. “I’m not that early. Victoire wanted to look at the employment openings, so we came early. I decided to come up and wait in your office.” Beyond the greeting, Ginny ignores her and speaks to Harry as if Hermione’s not standing there, though it looks like Ginny smirks slightly when she mentions Victoire. Being ignored is frustrating, even if Hermione can understand some reasons why Ginny might be upset with her.

“I’ll be going now. I don’t want to be late to my meeting,” she tells Harry. She wants to get to her office before Victoire joins them, since that’s one person she definitely prefers to avoid right now. Besides, if she wants to stop in her office and still make it to the meeting on time, she needs to start now.

"Alright. I know you really have to run, but I'll let you know when I hear anything new," Harry says. He turns to Ginny. "Hermione's been working really hard on that case I mentioned. It's a tough one."

Hermione leaves the office before she has to hear Ginny’s response, and hurries down the corridor to her department and, most importantly, her office. She is stopped twice along the way but finally makes it to her space. Only to find Victoire leaning against Teddy’s desk and laughing at something he’s said. She stops in the doorway and feels like someone has kicked her in the gut as she watches him smile and run his fingers through his turquoise hair.

Suddenly, she understands Ginny’s smirk, which she had assumed to be due to making her uncomfortable. She tightens her grip on her files and ignores Teddy’s desk as she enters the office and walks towards her door. They’re so caught up in each other that she doubts they’ll even notice her.

“Hello, Aunt Hermione.”

The words are like having cold water thrown on her. She stops in mid-step and glances over to see Victoire smiling at her. Teddy is looking at her, too, which is unexpected. She thought that he’d be embarrassed at being caught flirting or would avoid her stare out of guilt. Instead, he looks normal--a fact that is puzzling, in a way.

“How did the briefing go, Boss?” Teddy asks with a slow smile.

“Hello, Victoire. You look lovely,” she says with slightly grudging honesty. She glances at Teddy. “It was fine. I have another meeting in ten minutes, though, so I need to get ready.”

“That’s too bad. We’re going out for lunch with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. I was going to ask you and Uncle Ron to join us,” Victoire says. “I’m going to try to get a job here, though, after I receive my NEWT scores, so we’ll have to have lunch soon.” She smiles and looks down at Teddy. “You ready?”

“Yes. Let me just give this report to the boss lady, and I’ll be ready.” Teddy stands up and walks over to her. “Here, let me help you get this to your office. You don’t want to be late to your meeting.”

“I can handle it,” she says more curtly than she intends. She is not jealous of her niece. She is not jealous of her young, gorgeous niece. She is not jealous of--Oh, who is she kidding? She’s surprised that her skin hasn’t turned green from how jealous she feels right now. Teddy is being very friendly with his ex-girlfriend right in front of her and going out to lunch with her as if that’s no big deal at all. Or maybe she’s just being melodramatic; seeing Ginny left her tense and possibly irrational.

Teddy frowns but takes some of the files from her. “I’m sure you can, but I can help.”

She glares at him and goes into her office, fighting the urge to slam the door shut in his face. The meeting with Ginny put her on edge, and seeing him with Victoire hasn’t helped her calm down. When she puts her files on the desk, she looks at Teddy. “Enjoy your lunch.”

“Why are you saying it like that? It’s lunch, not an orgy.” He shakes his head, but she can see his lips quirking at the sides. He’s probably laughing at her, she decides, which is annoying. “You’re the only woman that I want to word-I-can’t-say-at-work. Vic is just a friend.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” she tells him. “I don’t care about Victoire.”

“Right. Of course you don’t. Silly me.” He’s humoring her now. She scowls at him and takes her files from him. He hands them over easily and adds, “It’s Ron’s weekend with the kids, isn’t it?”

The change of subject surprises her. She nods. “Yes, it is.”

“Go out with me on Friday. I miss you and want to see you.”

“You’re seeing me now,” she points out despite knowing what he means. Seeing him at work and even the occasional lunch isn’t the same. Despite her jealousy at the moment, she nods. “Friday after work.”

“Good. I’d better get back out there. Vic is waiting. Seriously, Hermione, she’s just a friend.” He sighs. “I hate not being able to touch you whenever I want to.”

“You should go. I have to get to a meeting, and you’ve got people waiting.” She watches him leave her office and runs her hands through her hair after he closes the door behind him. She’s behaving like an insecure teenager, which hasn’t happened since she _was_ an insecure teenager. After a moment, she gathers up the files that she needs for her meeting and leaves her office.

The café is Muggle. It’s small and tucked out of the way near Covent Garden. Hermione hasn’t been to it in a couple of years, but she remembers that the food is affordable and good. The last meeting place was a loud Indian restaurant in Oxford, so she’s glad for a more convenient location. Despite that, she’s curious about the repetition. Whenever she meets this contact, it’s always Muggle places and never the same one.

She arrives with one minute to spare, but she knows that her companion will be ten minutes late, at least. It’s all games of power and silly nonsense like that, but she’s used to it now. If anything, it’s generally amusing because her knowledge of the game gives her the most power in this situation. Once she is seated at a table out of the way, she quickly casts the necessary charms to keep the upcoming conversation private and confidential.

It’s ten after twelve on the dot when Rita Skeeter arrives. Hermione takes a sip of her water as she watches the other woman enter the café and look around. Rita is in her eighties now but looks no older than fifty; Hermione still hasn’t been able to figure out whether this is due to good genes or magical aging treatments. Regardless, Rita commands attention from several people in the café and seems to bask in it as she walks towards their table.

“Hermione, dear. Do forgive me for being late. I was just too busy to get away,” Rita says as she sits down. “You know how it is.”

Even after fifteen years, there’s a surreal moment at being greeted by her given name. She can never quite forget fourth year no matter how closely she and Rita might work together at times. “Yes, I know, Rita. Thank you for meeting me.”

“I was intrigued,” Rita says simply. It’s what always secures a meeting, since their first unexpected one years ago. Hermione knows how to play the game better now than she did back then, and, in a warped way, she has Rita to thank for that.

The server arrives to take their orders then disappears into the kitchens. Hermione opens her file and gets her pen ready. “I need information regarding kidnapping and selling children.”

“Ah. Warrington it is, then.” Rita purses her lips and studies Hermione. “You’re perturbed this afternoon, dear. It’s making you sloppy. Much too blunt.”

“It seems foolish to waste time seducing you into helping when you wouldn’t be here if you had no intention of offering assistance,” she says simply. She doesn’t see being blunt as the same thing as being sloppy.

Rita sniffs and looks out the window. “I might simply be toying with you. You should never take my help for granted.”

“I don’t. However, this is a big case. After it goes to trial, there’ll be a clamor for an exclusive article to help ease the public’s mind about Warrington and what he did to those children.” She arches a brow. “I take your desire for exclusive articles for granted, not your help.”

“You’ll agree to be interviewed for the article as well as for any future projects that might involve this case,” Rita says firmly. “I’ve been feeling the desire to write another book soon, and this case might suit, depending on my chosen theme. Crimes against children are horrid yet people feel a yearning to know more. Perhaps for some it’s under the guise of protecting their own families, but I think it’s more a craving for truths that are horrifying.”

“No. I’ll not let the story be used in a book. There were survivors who don’t deserve to have the public’s morbid curiosity satisfied by reading details of their torture.” She is ready to leave now if that is the only trade offered. Rita has gained a reputation for her non-fiction books, and the emphasis on crimes is what led to their first meeting. However, Hermione has lines that she won’t cross, even for information.

“Just because I don’t write it doesn’t mean that someone else won’t,” Rita points out. “I wouldn’t have progressed to writing what I do if there wasn’t a need and desire. I make much more with my books on horrid subjects than I ever did with dating histories. There’s a reason for that, dear.”

“Perhaps you’re simply recognized now for writing primarily facts versus the fiction that you created back then,” she says bluntly. “No one will be able to write an accurate book because the ages of the victims will require that the case be sealed to protect them. You know how rigid the Wizarding laws are when it comes to children.”

Rita frowns before she takes a drink of her martini. “Fine. I’ll accept an exclusive article after the trial regarding Warrington. However, I want in if this case leads to others. You’ve asked a vague question that could involve future charges being brought against people, and I want first choice on any exclusives.”

Hermione considers it before she nods. “Deal.”

“Deal.” Rita smiles. “Just to clarify the basics, the information we discuss doesn’t go beyond this table, as always, and no one will know of my part, I trust.”

“I’ve kept your name out of things for fifteen years, Rita. I don’t intend to start betraying my confidential contacts anytime soon,” she says dryly. They go through this every meeting. Not even Harry and Ron know that one of her best contacts is Rita Skeeter. If they did, they’d probably think she’s mental for making these deals. Still, there are things that she and her team can’t find out that Rita can, so it’s worth it.

“I always make sure that we understand each other, Hermione.” Rita looks around the café before she casts another charm and then opens her handbag. A quill hangs in the air beside her as she looks at Hermione expectantly. “What do you need?”

“As you said, no information goes beyond this table. If anyone finds out what I’m about to tell you, any deals are off, and I’ll make your job extremely difficult.” It isn’t a threat. She’s just being honest. She has to give information that she doesn’t want the general public to know at this point, so she’s being careful.

“After being kept in a jar, I doubt there’s anything worse you can do to me, dear,” Rita says dryly. “I understand, of course.”

“Warrington obtained the children from an unknown source. The victims and the survivors are being identified as Muggle children. I need to know the names of anyone who has a reputation for dealing with children or possibly Muggles, in general. I know that there’s been talk about a recent increase in sexual slave traffic to Asia, so tell me who is rumored to be involved in that, if you can find out.”

“Is it a wizard involved?”

“We don’t know yet. It could be a Muggle group, but I think we should focus on magical options primarily, considering it involves Warrington. Once we rule out any of those possibilities, we can work through the Muggle lists. I’d like any names you can provide, though, regardless of which world they’re from. If the victims are Muggle, it’s logical that they might have been sold by a Muggle, after all.”

“How old are the victims?” Rita asks, curling her lip slightly in disgust at the subject matter. Hermione appreciates these occasional signs of humanity because there are times when she wonders if anything affects Rita anymore.

“From what we’ve found so far, they range in age from five to twelve. We’ve not yet found any in their teens.” She hands Rita a list with the basics of what she needs. “I know that researching this sort of thing takes time, but sooner is better than later.”

Rita looks at the list before she puts it in her handbag. She grabs the quill and parchment and reviews it before putting it away, too. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I find out anything useful. Was there anything else?”

“Not at this time.” She puts her file away just before their food arrives. “I’ll let you know if anything else comes up. For now, we can just enjoy the remainder of our lunch.” She focuses on her grilled chicken salad and does her best not to think about Teddy and his lunch plans. Instead, she listens as Rita begins to discuss the headlines from the morning’s Daily Prophet.

End Chapter 46


End file.
